OT Kinda: Wood bed board dimensions for 1951 Ford pickup bed

Off topic, but woodworking related...

I am in the process of getting our (actually my wife's) 1951 Ford F1 pickup restored. I would like to make the wood out of birdseye maple for a different look than the traditional oak. The original boards are faily rotted in the several sections so I don't have specific measurements that I feel comfortable relying on. I have done several Google seaches and not returned the dimensions I am looking for. The vendors that sell them have not been willing to give me the dimensions understandably, and I don't want to drop the $250-300 to get the dimensions from a new set of oak boards.

I do plan to post on some of the old truck enthusiast websites, but I thought I would post here to see if by chance anyone has the dimensions of the boards. I think that they are the same from 1948 - 1956 just in case someone has a different year than ours.

Thanks,

David

Reply to
DL
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Am I missing something here, or could you simply go measure the bed?

Andrew

Reply to
Tattooed and Dusty

You are missing the detail of construction and attachment. The boards are not screwed down to the bed, but are put inside a system of steel battens that run the length of the boards and bolt the edges to the frame.

Either Ford, Chevy, Dodge, IH or maybe even someone else used plain square edged boards. One or two of the previous used rabbited boards to fit inside the steel battens.

Having said that to T&D, could you contact one of the many amatuer restorers at the car shows in your area. I used to know a guy here that restored Hudson trucks (that's right... Hudsons... he has 3!) and he was the picture of imagination to get the info and parts he wanted. He went to antique/classic car shows to take pictures and measure stuff.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

Robert,

You are correct, the boards are held down with metal strips that go into reliefs (rabbets) cut into the boards running the length of the boards so that the wood stands proud of the metal strips. There are also reliefs at the front and ends of the boards. Additionally there are holes drilled for mounting the bed assembly to the frame that need to be in the appropriate locations (these are the dimensions I am most concerned about).

From a woodworking standpoint, not a complex thing to do if you have the proper dimensions... As I stated in my original post, I will/have posted to the old truck enthusiast websites to see if I can get the proper dimensions.

As I am on a somewhat tight schedule based on the restoration process, unfortunately I don't think that there are shows locally that would fit my time schedule but I will check and it is a great idea.

I will also check to see if there are any local groups/clubs I might contact as well.

Thanks for the reply.

David

Reply to
DL

The boards are rabbeted so that steel (stainless) strips can bolted on with the wood still proud of the metal strips. Additionally there are holes drilled in the wood and rabbeted that allows the bed assembly to be mounted to the frame.

The truck is being restored over 400 miles from where I live and to make matters worse, the truck is completely disassembled at this point so taking measurements is not possible. The rust and rot at the front of the bed was such that I wouldn't have been able to take the measurement if I wanted to. The front panel of the box is being completely replaced due to the rust. Fortunately the only real rust problem we have found. Apparently they did this alot as the replacement is 14 gauge steel rather than the 16 gauge original. The guy doing the restoration took dimensions the best he could, but I am not completely comfortable with the accuracy of them and wanted to confirm his measurements.

As these boards are sold as aftermarket items, the dimensions are known, I just need to find someone that has them and is willing to share them.

David

Reply to
DL

Ford has an excellent archive and I would bet they could come up with the info for you if not the original blueprints. Don't know what they might charge or if you are local enough to Dearborn to make a visit, but definitely worth a phone call or letter. Another source would be the Henry Ford Museum (Benson Ford Research center).

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company Archives Schaefer Court - Suite 180

14441 Rotunda Drive Dearborn, MI 48120

Contact: Elizabeth Adkins, Manager of Archives Services Darleen Flaherty, Assistant Corporate Archivist Telephone: 313-845-0556 Fax: 313-248-4921 E-Mail: snipped-for-privacy@ford.com

Type of Business: Automotive manufacturing

Hours of Service: M-F 8:00am-4:30pm

Conditions of Access: Access policy currently under review.

Holdings: 1903-current; bulk dates, 1950-1980

Total Volume: 7,000 cubic feet

Description: Majority of collections fall into the category of executive correspondence and international operations; large collection of executive speeches; corporate newspapers and periodicals; hundreds of smaller collections on a wide assortment of Ford Motor Company activities/programs/buildings. In December 1964, a major donation of Ford archival materials, along with 460,000 photos and negatives, was made to the Henry Ford Museum Archives, Research Center, P.O. Box 1970, Dearborn, MI 48121, Phone:

313-271-1620, ext. 650, Fax: 313-271-9621. The Museum holds the bulk of the early Ford historical records, 1903-1950.

The Benson Ford Research Center houses an open treasury of research, historical expertise and unparalleled collections documenting the American Experience.

The Research Center holds the Ford Motor Company Historical Archives from

1903-1955, as well as a nationally significant collection of business records, automotive product literature and periodicals, manuscripts, photographs, prints, postcards, maps, trade catalogs, early American dictionaries, and other library and special collection material

Contact the Research Center

To set up an appointment to visit the research center call (313) 982-6070.

If you wish to do research from offsite, you must contact us in writing. Fees apply to most requests for research from off-site. For more information on cost please see our offsite research fees. We receive many requests, so please be patient. Requests for information can be mailed, faxed or emailed:

Benson Ford Research Center The Henry Ford P.O. Box 1970 Dearborn, MI

48121-1970 USA

fax: (313) 982-6244

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luck!

Tim

Reply to
Tim

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